Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1887-01-27
sEosHoNE JOURNAL CORES
PCNDEECE.


Ed. JouRNAL.--Inasmuch as severa
of the newspapers of the territory have
seen proper to most roundly abuse my
self ond Mr.. Hughes, my colleague, fo1
going over to Carson during the holidays
| ask space for this communication. w,
have been accused Of every crime from
petit larceny to treason for doing tina
which we supposed We had a right to do
Now l will state briefly what has beer
done here, and the position of MIR
Hughes and myself, as well as our rcas
ons for taking that position. In thu
first place resolution and memorial has
passed both houses protesting agaius
and segregation of Idaho, and denounc-
ing the proposition to annex South Idaho
to Nevada. We opposed lis resolution
for many reasons, but mainly because il
consisted Of tissue Of falsehoods and
misstatements Of facts, and because nc
such issue as annexation to Nevada haG
ever been submitted to the people Of
Idaho and the feeling Of the masses wa
to the legislature unknown. The rssolu.
ten was gotten up and engineered
through by Boise influence and was op.
posed for the reasons stated. Now
upon the question Of annexation to
Nevada, ! say Internationally that Mr..
Hughes and myself are both in favor OF
it. And while have read great deal
of abuse of Senator Stewart, Mr..
Hughes and myself, as well as every
other man whose name is in any way
connected with the matter, have yet to
see the first cool sensible reason given
why it would not be blessing to the
people Of Idaho to have this territory
divided up and attached to surrounding
states and territories, giving to its citizens
at once the great boon OF statehood,
which can only come to us in our pres
ent condition after long years Of waiting.
DO these enthusiastic anti-segrcgationists
ever stop to look at the condition of affairs
around them and compare it with that of
the State Of Nevada? Idaho has been
tor twenty years a territory, ant. this year
in most exciting canvass polled little
over $4,000 votes, the rate Of taxation
ranges from two to five per cent. There
is not county in the territory out of
debt and l believe am safe in saving
not one that is not going in debt annual
y. There is not dollars worth OF
belonging to the territory that
is paid for and more than one respectable
county court house in the territory paid
Tor. The territorial rate of taxation
must now be increased to meet current
expenses. We do not pay our own
governor, secretary, judges or in fact any
Territorial officers except controller,
treasurer and attorney general, or men,
'ers Of the Legislature. We have no
'enitentiary, university or institute for
he deaf, dumb and blind. In fact it
would be impossible to conceive of
tate of affairs where the citizens have
css to show for the enormous taxes they
'ay than we have here in Idaho. But IL
said Nevada is bankrupt. l under
AXE to say there is not another state in
he Union in SO good condition financial
as Nevada. She has no outsta ding
sbts at all, has q large surplus in the
reasury to say nothing of tho magnificent
chool fund that forever insures her
reedom from taxes to support her
chool and university. She has
plendid University, a good State house,
good penitentiary and Orphaut's
ZONES, State printing establishment, aa
insane Asylum and state government
old as our territory, and stall her
ate and county taxes are much lower
an average than ours. Nine of her
'urteen counties are out of debt entirely |
nd with one single exception tho debts
the others are small. How does this |
ompare with our condition While !!
er voting population is almost the same
South Idaho, her taxable property at
very low valuation is about three times
irs. While we are raising our territOr-
tax she is cutting down her state levy T
ow the position is this: To annex
of South Idaho and all of Utah north
the 4lst degree (which includes
gden) to Nevada. Now will some man
no knows what he is talking about
,ie'ly sit down and assign some sensible
ason why this should not be done? II
y further that it is understood that
fore anything else is done the people
Nevada will amend their constitution
as to embrace the test oath aud dis.
lnchisc the Mormons. / shall not
w undertake to point out the advan-